Shipping container

ABSTRACT

An improved shipping container for a book or the like having an improved end cell cushioning structure that is formed in part from the bottom panel of the container and in part from two of the three cushioning panels hingedly attached to the bottom panel. The new and improved shipping container is formed out of a single piece of paperboard having a minimal size and, due to its unique construction, it may be easily formed around the book or the like object to be packaged within the container on book folding machines of the type well known in the art.

PATENTEDwuza m4 SHEET 2 [IF 2 FIG. 3

FIG.4

FIG. 5

SHIPPING CONTAINER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates toa shipping container and more particularly to a mailing container forprotecting a book or the like with the container having a unique endcell construction which cushions the ends of the book or other objectfrom damage that usually occurs during the mailing of the container.

It is known in the art of mailing container designs to provide themailing container with cushioning end cells which are utilized toprotect the ends of the book which is packaged in the container from thedamaging shocks that occur from the frustrated basketball player typemail handlers that throw the mail package from one mail bag to anothermail bag as is well known to virtually every person in the country thathas delivered a package to our postal system for handling by them.Cushioning end cells have taken many forms, one of which is typified bythe U.S. Pat. No. 2,847,152, issued to L. D. Van Antwerpen on Aug. 12,1958 wherein the end panel construction is formed as a wraparound hollowmember formed out of five panels which are folded out of the flap shownas the numeral 9 in FIG. 2 of the drawing. A variation of this conceptis shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,179,325, issued to R. H. Johnson on Apr.20, 1965 wherein the cushioning end cell is formed of three intermediatestrips or panels numbered 50,52, 54 and 32, 34 and 36 as shown in FIG. 4of his drawing. A more refined variation of this type end cellconstruction is shown in the US. Pat. No. 3,368,735, issued to H. L.Levi On Feb. 13, 1968 wherein four panels numbered P6, P7, P8 and P9 areutilized in combination with a tab labeled T2 as shown in FIG. 1 of hisdrawing.

Another variation of this type of end cell construction is shown in theU.S. Pat. No. 3,386,641, issued to B. Cassidy on June 4, 1968 whereinfour panels numbered 40, 41, 42 and 43 are utilized in combination withother panels to provide a wrap-around end cell construction forcushioning the book in the package. Other designs of end cells wereattemped as typified by the U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,642, issued to G. H.Young on June 4, 1968 wherein a six panel structure was attemped usingthe panels numbered 8, 34, 26, 42, 27 and 35 as shown in FIG. 1 of hisdrawing which were folded in the manner shown in FIG. 2 of the drawingto provide the end cell construction. As a variation of this type ofstructure reference should be made to the U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,821,issued to N. A. Ringholz on Sept. 3, 1968 wherein a four panelconstruction utilizing panels numbered 25, 26 and 27 were folded to formthe end cell cushioning structure shown in FIG. 2 of his drawing. A moresimplified version of this structure is also shown in the U.S. Pat. No.3,485,435, issued to A. Greene et al. on Dec. 23, 1969 wherein thepanels 50 and 52 along with the panels 32 and 34 were folded about thescorelines 38 and 48 to form the end cell structure shown in FIG. 4 ofthe drawing.

While all of the beforementioned prior art end cell constructionsprovided some cushioning effect to the article being packaged, for onereason or another they have not found wide acceptance in the marketplaceundoubtedly due to either the amount of protection that they provided,the cost of obtaining the protection by means of a larger productionblank or the problems of machining the production blank which is theterm referred to in the art to mean the machine folding of theproduction blank around the article packaged in the container. Asomewhat more up-to-date end cell structure is shown in the U.S. Pat.No. 3,664,573, issued to J. H. Partain et al. on May 23, 1972 whereinthe end is formed with a four panel effect with the cell arrange ment,shown as the numeral 30, forming actually two panels of the four panelend cell. As can be seen in FIG. 3 of his drawing the end cellconstruction of this invention utilizes an upwardly and outwardlyinclined panels formed out of panels 42 in combination with a pluralityof horizontal panels formed out of panels 40, both of these panels beingshown generallly by the numeral 30 in the drawing. in combination withthis there is pro vided a vertical panel 56 and a horizontal panel 54which is wedged between the book and the second rectangular panel l4 asshown in FIG. 6 of the drawing. A more complicated version of thispatent is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,168, issued to J. H. Partainet al. on May 30, 1972. While these structures may provide the desiredcushioning of the book with their particular end cell structures, it isfelt that whenever the particular production blank is machined, or asbeforementioned, folded around the book to be contained in the package,problems will occur which will make the use of this containereconomically prohibitive.

1n the packing of books into containers such as taught by the inventionand the prior art cited herein, it is well known that assembly linespeeds ranging between 20 and books per minute are commonplace with thebooks being generally positioned in the package manually by womenpackers who build up quite a manual dexterity in placing the books inthe package while the packaging line is traveling at the high rate .ofspeed necessary to handle the 20 to 40 books per minute. In machiningthe mailing container taught by the first mentioned Partain patent, itbecomes necessary to first fold the cell construction 30 in a mannershown in FIG. 3 of the drawing and then to fold down the wall panel 56and to fold over the wall panel 54 while holding it in position so thatthe book can be rapidly placed in the container. While this folding canbe accomplished automatically by the packaging machine it is felt thatsuch a machine would be expensive to manufacture and would beexceedingly large in order to handle all of the folding steps necessaryprior to the placement of the book in the container. If some of thefolding steps are performed manually, as for example breaking thescoreline 58 in order to fold the wall panel 54 horizontally and to holdit in place while the book is placed in the package, then it isquestioned whether or not the beforementioned packaging speeds would beobtainable using this structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to overcome the problems inherent inthe beforementioned prior art patents, there has been provided by thesubject invention a new and improved shipping container for a book orthe like which has a new and novel end cell construction which may beformed simply'out of a minimum of cushioning panels and which may beeasily formed into the cushioning end cell thereby allowing the highpackaging line speeds to be accomplished in the packaging process. Inthe preferred embodiment shown. the cushioning end cell may be formedwith at least three cushioning panels which are hingedly attached toeach other and to the bottom panel and which have formed thereon atleast two inwardly opening reinforcement panels which are formed in partfrom two of the three cushioning panels of the structure. Thereinforcement panels may be formed in the shape of a trapezoid with thebase of the trapezoid being cut in part from at least two of thecushioning panels and in part from the bottom panel of the shippingcontainer.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a new andimproved shipping container that may be easily machined at the highpackaging speeds required in todays technology.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedshipping container which has an improved end cell construction thatprovides improved cushioning of the'contents of the package without re-,quiring large amounts of paperboard for the construction blank orwithout requiring intricate and large numbers of folding panels in orderto provide the end cell cushioning.

Still another object and advantage of the invention is to provide aimproved mailing container which utilizes end cell cushioning providedby a minimum of three cushioning panels which have formed thereoncushioning reinforcement panels which are formed in part from the bottomwall of the mailing container and in part from two of the threecushioning panels.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from a reading of the description of the preferred embodimentand from a study of the drawings showing the preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFTHE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the productionblank of the subject invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the blank of FIG. 1 with the leftend cell partially folded and the right end cell completely folded inplace prior to the top panel being folded over to make the completedpackage;

FIG. 3 is a partial top view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 showing thenew and improved end cell construction;

FIG. 4 is an end view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing the endcell construction prior to the top panel being completely folded over tocomplete the package;

FIG. 5 is an end view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3.showing the endcell construction of the invention after the top panel has been foldedin place but before the cover panel has been folded in place completingthe package; and

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the completed package showing the three coverpanels folded in place and showing the end cell construction in dashedlines on the Figure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings ingeneral and in particular to FIG. 1 of the drawings there is shown thenew and novel shipping container of the invention generally by thenumeral 10 which comprises a top panel 12 and a bottom panel 14 which ishingedly attached to the top panel 12 by means of an end panel 16 at thescorelines 18 and 20. The top panel 12 also has hingedly attachedthereto, by means of scorelines 22, 24 and 26, the end panels 28, 30 and32. Hingedly attached to the end panels 28, 30 and 32, by means of thescorelines 34, 36 and 38 are a plurality of cover panels 40, 42 and 44.

The bottom panel 14 has hingedly attached thereto, on each of twoopposite sides thereof, a plurality of cushioning panels 46, 48, 50, 52,54 and 56 by means of the slit scorelines 58, 60, 62, 64, 66 and 68.Formed on each of the two opposing sides of the bottom panel 14 are atleast two inwardly opening reinforcement panels, shown generally by thenumeral 70 and comprising a plurality of triangular-shaped panels 72,74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92 and 94 which are formed in partby means of the slit scorelines 96, 98, 100, 102, 104, I06, 108 and 110and in part by the cut lines 112 and 114. The reinforcement panels 70are formed in part from the bottom panel 14 and in part from at leasttwo of the cushioning panels formed on each side of the bottom panel 14.When formed in this manner, the reinforcement panels 70 are formed inthe shape of a trapezoid with the base of the trapezoid being 'cut inpart from at least two of the cushioning panels and in part from thebottom panel 14. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing, atleast two trapezoidal-shaped reinforcement panels are formed on each ofthe two opposite sides of the bottom panel 14 with the bases of thetrapezoids being in juxtaposition with each other along the cut lines112 and 114. However it is within the spirit and scope of the inventionthat the bases of the trapezoids could be in a facing relationship butspaced apart simply by repositioning the bases of the trapezoids awayfrom each other and separating them by several cut lines with thematerial between the bases blanked out or removed from the productionblank. The trapezoids may be formed as isoceles trapezoids or asnon-isoceles trapezoids depending upon the thickness of the book to becontained within the shipping container and the location of onetrapezoid in relation to the other trapezoid on that side of the bookcontainer.

Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawing there is shown a perspective viewshowing the production blank of FIG. 1 with the left end cell beingpartially folded and the right end cell being completely folded and withthe reinforcement panels 70 structurally reinforcing the cushioningpanels in order to provide cushioning support to the book or otherobject placed within the container. When the cushioning end panels areinitially formed as shown on the left side of FIG. 2 of the drawing, abreaking force 115 is applied from beneath the reinforcement panels 70when they are in the unfolded position shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing inorder that the cushioning panels may be wrapped around the inwardlyopening reinforcement panels as the cushioning panel is formed. Whencompletely formed, the cushioning panel 46 is in juxtaposition with thebottom panel 14 along the line 116 as shown by the dotted line 117representing its final position and the cushioning panel 56 is injuxtaposition with the bottom panel 14 along the line 118, both beingsubstantially vertical in relation to the bottom panel 14. When formedin this manner the cushioning panels 48 and 54 are then substantiallyhorizontal in relation to the bottom panel 14 and the cushioning panels50 and 52 are substantially vertical in relation to the bottom panel 14and lie on the outside of the package. When the reinforcement panels areformed in the manner hereinbefore described, they provide a V-shapedopening 118 and 120 on each side of the package with thetriangular-shaped panels 72, 74, 76, 78, 80 and 82 and the triangularshaped panels 84, 86, 88, 90, 92 and 94 giving structural support to thecushioning panels 46 and 56.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawing there is shown a partial top viewtaken along lines 33 of FIG. 2 showing the improved end cellconstruction folded in place as beforementioned prior to the top panel12 being folded over the end cells to make the complete package.-Whenever a book 122 or other similar object is placed within the packageand the package is completely made up, the longitudinal forces, shown bythe arrow direction 124, will be cushioned by the end cell with theshock being absorbed by the cushioning panels a 46 and 56 as well asbeing absorbed by the cushioning panels 50 and 52 by virtue of theresultant force being transferred to these latter panels by means of thereinforcement panels 70 being folded in the particular manner taught bythe subject invention. Referring to FIG. 4 of the drawing there is shownan end view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing the end cellconstruction prior to the top panel being completely folded over tocomplete the package and showing the book 122 in place in the package.In addition to the forces 124 occurring to cause potential damage to thebook 122 there may also be a plurality of diagonal forces applied to theedges of the book as shown by the arrow direction 126. Due to the uniqueconstruction of the end cell, a hollow space 128 is provided which issufficient to allow the cushioning panel 46 or 56 to deflect inward orto somewhat collapse in order to absorb the shock incurred by means ofthe force applied to the diagonal corners of the bookas shown by thearrow direction 126.

Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawing there is shown an end view takenlong lines 55 of FIG. 3 showing the end cell construction of theinvention after the top panel has been folded in place but before thecover panel has been folded in place to complete the package. Asbeforementioned the reinforcement panels 70 are formed by means of thetriangular-shaped panels which are constructed in the general form of atrapezoid having its base formed by means of the cut lines 112 and 114.In the view shown in FIG. 5 of the drawing whenever the cushioning endcell is formed,

the base of one trapezoid forms itself into a generally V-shaped segmenthaving two legs 130 and 132 while the base of the other trapezoid formsitself into a similar V-shaped segment having two legs 134 and 136 whichrest against the cushioning panel 46 and transmits the shock, shown bythe arrows 124 through the reinforcing members into the cushioningpanels.

Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawing there is shown a bottom view of thecompleted package showing the three cover panelsfolded in place andshowing the end cell construction with a plurality of dashed lines onthe figure. As beforementioned whenever the cushioning panels are foldedaround the reinforcing panels, a generally V-shaped opening 118 and 120is formed in each side of the cushioning end cell. For estheticpurposes, in order to cover this opening, the cover panels 40 and 44should be of sufficient width 138 and 140 to cover the opening as shownin FIG. 6 of the drawing.

In addition the cover panel 42 as well as the cover panels 40 and 44 aregenerally formed with tapered sides at and 144 as well as 142 and 146 inorder that the three cover panels can. be tightly folded in place andglued to form the completed package by means well known in the art. Whenthe completed package is thusly formed, the outward appearance issimilar to other book packages however it should become apparent theinward end cell construction is uniquely different.

From the above it should become apparent that there has been provided bythe subject invention, a new and improved shipping container for a bookor the like having an improved cushioning end. cell structure which maybe simply formed out of a minimum of panels and which provides therequired structural support to the book contained within the packagewhenever various shocking forces are applied to the edges of the booksresulting from the beforementioned improper handling of the package.When the subject improved package is to be machined, a simple breakingforce is required to the reinforcement panels to break them upwardly andthe end cells can then be quickly formed by wrapping the cushioningpanels around the reinforcement panels with the book being placed in thepackage without recourse being made to other means to hold the end cellin a proper position prior to insertion of the book. As a result thebeforementioned high. packaging speeds are obtainable with the uniqueend cell construction of the invention thereby overcoming the problemsinherent in the beforementioned prior art book packages.

From the above it should become apparent that many variations may beutilized within thespirit and scope of the invention in order to takeadvantage of the unique end cell construction. For example, in thepreferred embodiment shown the reinforcement structure comprises twotrapezoids having their bases in juxtaposition on each side of thepackage. It is also conceivable that the structure could be formed withonly one trapezoid on each side of the package with the trapezoid beingformed in part from the bottom panel and in part from two of the threecushioning panels making up the end cell. In addition, asbeforementioned, the trapezoidshaped reinforcement panels can also beformed in the position shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing but having theirbases spaced apart within the spirit and scope of the invention. It isalso conceivable that each end cell could be constructed with more thanone trapezoidalshaped reinforcement panel, having bases either touching,spaced apart or in the same direction, if more structural rigidity wasdesired for the end cell with the reinforcement panels being formed inpart from the bottom panel and in part from two of the three cushioningpanels forming a part of the end cell.

From the foregoing it can be seen that there has been provided a new andimproved shipping package which accomplishes all of the objects andadvantages of theinvention as outlined before. Nevertheless manychangesmay be made in the basic structure of the invention and in thearrangement of the panels without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention and the invention is not to be limited to the preferred embodiment shown which has been given by way of illustration only.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a shipping container for a book or the like and of the typecomprising a top panel, a plurality of end panels hingedly attached tothe top panel, a plurality of cover panels hingedly attached to at leastthree of the end panels and a bottom panel hingedly attached to at leastone of the end panels, the improvement comprisa. the bottom panel havingformed on each of two opposite sides thereof at least three cushioningpanels, the cushioning panels being hingedly attached to each other andto the bottom panel; and

b. the bottom panel also having formed on each of the two opposite sidesthereof at least two inwardly opening reinforcement panels, eachreinforcement panel being formed in part from at least two of thecushioning panels and from the bottom panel.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 further comprising thereinforcement panels being formed in the shape of a trapezoid with thebase of the trapezoid being cut in part from at least two of thecushioning panels and in part from the bottom panel.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 2 wherein the trapezoid is formedfrom at least three triangular shaped panels cut scored in part from thecushioning panels and in part from the bottom panel.

4. The improvement as defined in claim 2 wherein at least twotrapezoidal shaped reinforcement panels are formed on each of the twoopposite sides of the bottom panel with the bases of the trapezoidsbeing in juxtaposition.

5. The improvement as defined in claim 2 wherein at least twotrapezoidal shaped reinforcement panels are formed on each of the twoopposite ends of the bottom panel with the bases of the trapezoids beingin a facing relationship but being spaced apart.

6. The improvement as defined in claim 2 further comprising thetrapezoid to be formed as an isosceles trapezoid.

7. In a shipping container having a pair of protective end cells for abook or the like and of the type comprising a top panel, a plurality ofend panels hingedly attached to the top panel, a plurality of coverpanels hingedly attached to at least three of the end panels and abottom panel hingedly attached to at least one of the end panels, theimprovement comprising:

a. the bottom panel having formed on each of two opposite sides thereofand hingedly attached thereto a first cushioning panel; a secondcushioning panel hingedly attached to the first cushioning panel and athird cushioning panel hingedly attached to the second cushioning panel;and Y b. the bottom panel also having formed on each of the two oppositesides thereof a pair of reinforcement panels formed in a hexagonal shapeand die cut and formed in a manner sufficient to allow the hexagonalshaped reinforcement panels to open inwardly whenever the cushioningpanels are wrapped around the reinforcement panels thereby forming theprotective end cells for the shipping container.

8. In a shipping container for a book or the like and of the typecomprising a top panel, a plurality of end panels hingedly attached tothe top panel, a plurality of cover panels hingedly attached to at leastsome of the end panels and a bottom panel hingedly attached to at leastone of the end panels, the improvement comprisa. The bottom panel havingformed on each of two opposite sides thereof and hingedly attachedthereto a first cushioning panel, a second cushioning panel hingedlyattached to the first cushioning panel and a third cushioning panelhingedly attached to the second cushioning panel; and

b. the bottom panel also having formed in part on each of the twoopposite sides thereof and in part on the first and second cushioningpanels at least two reinforcement panels, each reinforcement panel beingformed so that the innermost portion of the reinforcement panel extendsinto the bottom panel and the outermost portion of the reinforcementpanel extends to the hinge line forming the beginning of the thirdcushioning panel.

9. The improvement as defined in claim 8 wherein the reinforcementpanels open inwardly whenever the first, the second, and the thirdcushioning panels are wrapped around the reinforcement panels therebyforming a protective end cell for the shipping container.

10. The improvement as defined in claim 9 wherein the reinforcementpanels are formed in the shape of a 'zg gg V UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE- CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,820,703 I Dated June 28,1974 Inven fl William G. Sieffert It is certified that error appears inthe aboveidentified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Column line 6, after "end" insert --cell---. 1 I

Column line 2 after "of" insert --the--.

Column line :23, change "cells" to ----cell-----.

Column Column 5, line 39,, change "lines 5-5" to ----line 5-5 6, line43, change "trapezoid" to --trap'ezoida1--.

Column line 26, change "sides" to --e nds-.

. Signed and sealed this 5th .day of November 1974.

(SEiAL) Atte st:

McCOY M. GIBSON JRa C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Offiem" Commissioner ofPatents a L- V J

1. In a shipping container for a book or the like and of the typecomprising a top panel, a plurality of end panels hingedly attached tothe top panel, a plurality of cover panels hingedly attached to at leastthree of the end panels and a bottom panel hingedly attached to at leastone of the end panels, the improvement comprising: a. the bottom panelhaving formed on each of two opposite sides thereof at least threecushioning panels, the cushioning panels being hingedly attached to eachother and to the bottom panel; and b. the bottom panel also havingformed on each of the two opposite sides thereof at least two inwardlyopening reinforcement panels, each reinforcement panel being formed inpart from at least two of the cushioning panels and from the bottompanel.
 2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 further comprising thereinforcement panels being formed in the shape of a trapezoid with thebase of the trapezoid being cut in part from at least two of thecushioning panels and in part from the bottom panel.
 3. The improvementas defined in claim 2 wherein the trapezoid is formed from at leastthree triangular shaped panels cut scored in part from the cushioningpanels and in part from the bottom panel.
 4. The improvement as definedin claim 2 wherein at least two trapezoidal shaped reinforcement panelsare formed on each of the two opposite sides of the bottom panel withthe bases of the trapezoids being in juxtaposition.
 5. The improvementas defined in claim 2 wherein at least two trapezoidal shapedreinforcement panels are formed on each of the two opposite ends of thebottom panel with the bases of the trapezoids being in a facingrelationship but being spaced apart.
 6. The improvement as defined inclaim 2 further comprising the trapezoid to be formed as an isoscelestrapezoid.
 7. In a shipping container having a pair of protective endcells for a book or the like and of the type comprising a top panel, aplurality of end panels hingedly attached to the top panel, a pluralityof cover panels hingedly attached to at least three of the end panelsand a bottom panel hingedly attached to at least one of the end panels,the improvement comprising: a. the bottom panel having formed on each oftwo opposite sides thereof and hingedlY attached thereto a firstcushioning panel; a second cushioning panel hingedly attached to thefirst cushioning panel and a third cushioning panel hingedly attached tothe second cushioning panel; and b. the bottom panel also having formedon each of the two opposite sides thereof a pair of reinforcement panelsformed in a hexagonal shape and die cut and formed in a mannersufficient to allow the hexagonal shaped reinforcement panels to openinwardly whenever the cushioning panels are wrapped around thereinforcement panels thereby forming the protective end cells for theshipping container.
 8. In a shipping container for a book or the likeand of the type comprising a top panel, a plurality of end panelshingedly attached to the top panel, a plurality of cover panels hingedlyattached to at least some of the end panels and a bottom panel hingedlyattached to at least one of the end panels, the improvement comprising:a. The bottom panel having formed on each of two opposite sides thereofand hingedly attached thereto a first cushioning panel, a secondcushioning panel hingedly attached to the first cushioning panel and athird cushioning panel hingedly attached to the second cushioning panel;and b. the bottom panel also having formed in part on each of the twoopposite sides thereof and in part on the first and second cushioningpanels at least two reinforcement panels, each reinforcement panel beingformed so that the innermost portion of the reinforcement panel extendsinto the bottom panel and the outermost portion of the reinforcementpanel extends to the hinge line forming the beginning of the thirdcushioning panel.
 9. The improvement as defined in claim 8 wherein thereinforcement panels open inwardly whenever the first, the second, andthe third cushioning panels are wrapped around the reinforcement panelsthereby forming a protective end cell for the shipping container. 10.The improvement as defined in claim 9 wherein the reinforcement panelsare formed in the shape of a trapezoid.